Just Cause- 10/23/2008

It is nice to just get together with friends for a gourmet food and wine dinner. This is exactly what we did on Thursday October 23, 2008! With Steve and Lynn Greenwald, David and Rebecca Burka, Augusto Durand, Sina, Reza, Arman, Karim and Alinda Iman.

Appetizer-

Smoked Trout with Traditional Horseradish Sauce on Gluten Free Rice Crackers-

This is a simple way of putting a quick appetizer together. The Ducktrap brand smoked trout fillet is flaky and stays firm on the brittle rice crackers pasted with the traditional horseradish sauce.

Taittinger NV Champagne-

A brilliant golden straw yellow. The bubbles are fine. The mousse is both discreet and persistent. On the nose, very expressive and open. It is both fruity and bready, exuding aromas of peach, white flowers (may blossom, acacia) and vanilla pod.On the palate, this lively fresh wine is at once in harmony. This is a delicate wine with flavours of fresh fruit and honey. In all a wine blessed with a well-developed aromatic potential. It is aged for three to four years in the cellars where it achieves perfect maturity.Grape Variety: 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, 40% Chardonnay.Background: Vinified from the first pressing of selected Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. Owing to its extensive vinified holdings, Taittinger is able to rely primarily on its own grapes. Taittinger Brut Réserve is a blend of Chardonnay wines (40%) and Pinot wines (60%) from 40 different vineyards and matured to perfection. Such a high proportion of Chardonnay is seldom found among the great Champagnes.

First Course-

Smoked Salmon over baby green salad with capers- This simple dish has a lot going, the baby greens have been laced with fusion of balsamic vinegar, Grey Poupon mustard, virgin olive oil, black pepper and sea salt. The short strips of smoked salmon are highlighted by medium capers. The dish works very well with the 2002 White Burgundy, which has a pale light yellow color, on the palate, this wine shows notes of pineapple and citrus.

2002 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er Cru-

Features a mineral nose with power, but it is relatively closed for now. In the mouth, the wine
is mineral without the same development. Score - (90-93). (Claude Kolm, The Fine Wine
Review, #101, 2004). "Aromatically demure, the soft, silky-textured. 2002 Puligny-Montrachet Referts is light to medium-bodied, supple, and appealing. While it lacks the depth and concentration of the Perrières, it boasts an impressively fruit pear and apple-flavoured character. Drink it over the next eight years." 88-90. Pierre-Antoine Rovani — The
Wine Advocate — February 27, 2004.

Main Course-
Magret de Canard, Haricots Verts aux Pommes de terre Rouge-

The duck breast was seared and cooked to perfection, tender with a lot of taste. The green string beans were seared just right with roasted garlic and the red potatoes made the whole ensemble work well together. The marriage of the duck breast was perfect both with the Pinot Noir and the Saint Emilion. It could not have been better!

1982 Chateau de Ferrand- Saint-Emilion Grand Cru-

I had this bottle sitting up right for the past 2-3 months. I carefully decanted the bottle just a few minutes before serving the wine. The color was clear medium red, the nose of this wine was your typical old Bordeaux, with wood, roasted vanilla and red wild fruits, on the palate, this wine was smooth, soft and elegant, it just went perfectly with the Duck breast. We thought that this wine would over whelm the Pinot Noir, but it was contrary, it just worked real well!

2005 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir- Russian River Valley, 25th Anniversary-

Steve's generous offering, this bottle was opened and poured. Unlike the Sonoma Coast, this wine shows a more ruby/garnet color (the Sonoma had a purple hue). On the nose, this shows some obvious cherry pie and cinnamon along with some very distinct forest floor/pine needle and dried herbs. Dry yet nicely fruited finish. 13.9% alc. Elegant example of Pinot Noir. Thanks Steve!

Dessert- Macadamia White Chocolate Moose-

The white chocolate moose was creamy and crunchy worked well with the powerful Muscat.

Yalumba Muscat Museum Reserve South Eastern Australia-

It is not only one of the finest dessert wines we've ever tasted, it's also one of the least expensive. You can pay $50 to $200 for a top current release Sauternes and as much as $1000 for a vintage Chateau d'Yquem. Or you could pay just $19 for a 375ml bottle of an equally delicious, if different, Aussie Muscat like this one.
You aren't fond of sweet wines? Well, don't be too sure. The Yalumba Muscat is perfectly balanced with rich complex flavors of roasted nuts, orange peel, coffee and dried fruits. And just the right amount of lemony brightness to offset the sweetness.
While the Yalumba Muscat is drinking wonderfully right now, you might want to lay a few bottles down for a few years. These wines age gracefully for decades under reasonable temperature control. Further aging will allow the already stunning aromatics to develop even more and the layered flavors to integrate and take on new characteristics.
Robert Parker liked it too. He awarded the Yalumba Muscat Museum Reserve 97 points.

After Dinner Drink and Cigar-

Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Porto-

An exceptionally fine old tawny blend, aged for 10 years in oak casks. Elegant and smooth, combining delicate wood notes and rich mellow fruit, it is bottled for immediate drinking. A superb dessert wine, particularly with dishes made with chocolate, coffee or almonds, Taylor's 10 Year Old Tawny may also be served at the end of the meal in the same way as Vintage Port.

Cohiba 1966-2006 Reserva Cuban- Torpedo- Another offering by Steve, the 40th Anniversary Cohiba with maduro and natural wrapping. The oily wrapper is inviting, the cigar burns evenly and draws very well with creamy smoke plumes. Great way to wrap up this fabulous dinner.

Chef de Cuisine- Alinda Iman

Sommelier- Karim Iman

Go Fish Ten Penh 10/14/2008

TenPenh Restaurant
1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC, 20004
The second dinner of the season, event number 529, was at the Ten Penh Restaurant in DC. The evening started with a glass of NV Pol Roger Champagne and the hors d'oeuvres kept coming starting with a large tray of sashimi salmon, lobster tail on the skewers, broiled mussels and a special fish ribs from Hawaii.

The first course

Kona Kampachi- Tartare, Sashimi, Seared-

The tartar Kona Kampachi was fresh, tasty and delicious. This tuna is farm raised in Hawaii. It is an oily fish without the over powering taste, additionally, does not leave residual taste on the palate. The capers worked very well with the fish. The Sashimi was fresh and just at the right temperature; the seared was my favorite, with sweet under tones that worked well with the wine.

Albarino, Fulget, 2006- This wine was delicate on the palate, neutral nose and worked well the most with the sashimi.

The producer of Fulget is Adega "Maior De Mendoza" which is located in the famous sub zone of the Salnés Valley, within the D.O. Rias Baixas. This D.O. is located in the far northwest corner of Spain, in the lush, verdant region of Galicia. It is an exceptionally beautiful wine region. The star wines from Rias Baixas are made with the Albariño grape. Albariño has been likened to both Riesling and Viognier, Riesling for its minerally character and Viognier for its bouquet of peaches and apricots. Many wine experts, believe that Albariño is actually the Riesling grape and that the vines were brought over by medieval German monks who were establishing monasteries on the Camino de Santiago (Saint James Way). The regulatory council in Rias Baixas disagree and believe that the Albariño grape is indigenous to the area. While the experts can’t seem to agree on the origin of Albariño, they definitely agree that it is Spain’s most elegant white grape.

Albariño wines have been nicknamed the Wines of the Sea, based on their derivation from coastal vineyards and on their compatibility with seafood. In fact Rías Baixas is not only famous for the for it’s outstanding Albariño’s but also for its wonderful seafood. Fishing villages line the rías and ocean coasts, and fishing is a major industry. It is a delightful experience for locals and visitors alike to spend a sunny afternoon at a charming little outdoor cafe in a Rías Baixas fishing village, enjoying a plate of fresh seafood and a bottle of crisp, dry Albariño wine.

Second Course-

Sea Bass- Wakame- Potato cake, Pickled Ginger Sauce. Another great course, the texture of the fish was inviting, the flavors worked well together and with the wine. The wine had a neutral nose with light pale color, stands up to the flavors of the potato cake. Lots of minerals taste.

Beaune Blanc, Greves, Jadot 2005The wine with the gold “robe” not yet completely at it potential but very luminous. The wine presents a beautiful concentration in glass. With apple notes, pears, of giroflée, dry fruits, plum and quince paste. A very aromatic wine which not an overwhelming wood nose. Beautiful balance between the richness and the freshness of the structure.

Third Course-

Alaskan King Crab
Black Bean Sauce , Kabachoa Puree, Tosazu Salad- The king crab was fresh with outstanding quality in a sweet sauce that worked with the salad and the crab meat. The 1993 Insignia had a deep red color, the nose was powerful with tobacco and tar nose. On the palate, complex taste, though, not much of a back bone (lacked body). The marriage was disappointing, because the sweetness of the sauce would clash with the wine. I would have selected a little sweeter wine like a Banyuls, wine made from old vines cultivated in terraces on the slopes of the Pyrenees in the Roussillon (Northern Catalonia) wine region of Southern France, which borders Southern Catalonia in Spain.

Insignia Joseph Phelps 2003- (Market Price: $175-$255) “The light, pedestrian 2003 Insignia (84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, and the rest equal parts Malbec and Merlot), while outstanding, is not one of the most inspirational examples of this proprietary blend. Medium-bodied with an evolved, sweet nose of chocolate, black currants, plums, and toasty new oak, this rich, ripe, well-balanced 2003 does not possess the persistence or depth of the 2002 or 2001. Drink the 2003 over the next 10-15 years." - 91 Points - Robert Parker

"Full ruby-red. Slightly jammy aromas of blackberry, mocha and dark chocolate. Not especially dense or fleshy but has an attractive juicy quality and good life. Dominated by a flavor of black raspberry. Finishes with big, firm, rather fine tannins." 92 Points - Stephen Tanzer.

Fourth Course-
Grouper
Exotic Mushroom Ragout, Bok Choy Bacon Stir fry- Probably one of the least favorite dish of the evening. The fish was dry and tasteless; the exotic mushroom ragout did not add any wow factor to the ensemble either. Now, the wine was a different story; clear light red color, light bodied, but have a lot of punch on the palate with a sweet under tone (probably would have worked better with the Alaskan King Crab dish.)

Chateau Cos d'Estournel, St. Estephe, 1995 (Market Price: $170-$210)
Bordeaux (Red)
Wine Advocate: 95 Wine Spectator: 94
Tasting notes
"95 out of 100.....A wine of extraordinary intensity and accessibility, the 1995 Cos d'Estournel is a sexier, more hedonistic offering than the muscular, backward 1996. Opulent, with forward aromatics (gobs of black fruits intermixed with toasty pain grille scents and a boatload of spice), this terrific Cos possesses remarkable intensity, full body, and layers of jammy fruit nicely framed by the wine's new oak. Because of low acidity and sweet tannin, the 1995 will be difficult to resist young, although it will age for 2-3 decades. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2025." -WA
"94 out of 100...Gorgeous blackberry, toasted oak, Indian spice and light sweet tobacco on the nose. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a caressing texture. Pretty and refined. Holding back. Give it time. --'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008." - WS

Fifth Course-

Pine Apple Upside Down Cake

Passion fruit Ice Cream

Muscat Beaume de Venice, Jaboulet, 2006Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is the delicate Vin Doux Naturel from the southern Rhone village of Beaumes de Venise. This sweet, golden-colored wine is made entirely from Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains grapes.

Coffee

Cigars

Committee:

Stanley Pearlman

Bill Wallert

Mel Greenblat

Steven Greenwald, Ex Officio

Executive Chef Jeff Tunks

Chef de Cuisine Cliff Wharton

Pastry Chef Norman Messer